As this is my own blog, I have no problem with partaking in a bit of shameless self promotion. While putting together the above poster, it dawned on me that animal communication has really gone mainstream. It boggles my mind to think that just four short years ago I had never even heard of an animal communicator – pet psychic. Granted I had heard of psychics, I just was a skeptic.

Of course while as a young child I had experiences that were hard to explain. There was the time that I saw our deceased cat playing in the garden while at the kitchen sink washing dishes with my mother. I pointed out our cat playing up on the hillside and was promptly reminded that she had passed the year before. That was confusing … as was seeing the ghost of a fur trader creeping around our house. My brother and I saw him, he was dressed in buckskins with a Bowie knife in his right hand and a long rifle over his back. My understanding was that he had died after being ambushed by the local tribes who were unhappy with his intrusion onto their hunting grounds.

My memories from the early years were quickly suppressed as my childhood became nothing more than a memory. As a young adult I really do not recall any unusual experiences. On January, 24th 2006 I had a ghost appear in my home and that opened up the next chapter of my life. In many ways my unfolding was like going from zero to sixty in four seconds flat, quite the ride! Even then it was another seven months before I realized that I could communicate with live animals.

These days, I find myself counseling animals and their people on a near daily basis. One recent week began with me communicating with a dog in New Delhi, India (on the phone with his person) and later that day connecting with a rabbit in New Jersey, (on the phone as well.) Later that week I saw over twenty dogs in person.

On the 27th of June I was the featured Pet Psychic at “Mind Over Mutts” an event at Jack London Square in Oakland that is put on in partnership with the Eastbay SPCA. I had a great time chatting it up with the dogs and their people. A short 10-15 minute reading was $20 with all proceeds being donated to the Eastbay SPCA. The Port of Oakland, (Jack London Square) covered my stipend for the event and I was able to donate $260 to help out the animals in Alameda county.

Some of my favorite conversations involved a dog that ratted out his persons love of betting at the track. I was sitting with a woman and her dog, I asked the dog to provide me with something that would confirm a connection with him. And all of a sudden I was seeing images of the horse track. I asked if he had been taken to the races or to the track and the lady then called out to her husband who was a short distance away, but not seated with us. He got a somewhat worried look on his face, one wonders what other secrets he had. He then confirmed that he went to the track regularly, but had never taken the dog. The dog knew about it and let the wife know about how often he likes to go … too funny.

Another humorous incident was a woman who had brought her twelve year old son and dog to see me. After chatting a little bit with the dog, she asked me if the dog knew what her son did all day … instead of playing with the dog. I asked the dog and he told me the kid played video games. She asked if the dog could tell me what game the kid plays the most. I looked at the kid who was dressed in “skater” like clothes and then said to them both, “a fighting game, called “Call of Duty.” You should have seen their jaws drop, great stuff! I will bet you that kid will never be the same again – in a good way. While it is true that I also communicate with the spirits of the deceased on a daily basis as well, I have found that communication with animals helps to “break the ice” so to speak. When I go out in public, it is not uncommon for me to see the spirits of your loved ones beside you. It is however “unnerving” for someone such as myself to approach you in public and announce that your beloved husband is still with you in spirit. It is far easier for me to simply approach your dog and ask him a question that only he can answer.

Frequently animals will come up to me in public as they recognize my ability to communicate with them. The information that will come through will be very detailed. One of the first things that animals will tell me is their age, not from birth, but from conception. Frequently past animals will make an appearance. Often times animals wish to pass on a message to their person, such as thanking them for something that they did for their animal or simply letting them know how much they love them. Sometimes health concerns will be brought up and the animal may have some insights into how to care for their problems. It is of course important to note that I am not a vet and that I am simply able to relay to you additional insights and information. It is your obligation to consult with a trained animal care specialist regarding any information brought forward during a consultation.

Working with animals is very rewarding. As with any form of communication, it is a “two way street” and if an animal does not wish to communicate there is little I can do. I will from time to time employ the “burning ears” technique, in order to encourage an animal to communicate. This technique can be very effective when an impasse has been met. For example consider the case illustrated below.

While visiting Topanga I was on a trail ride where I bumped into one of the neighbors of the person whose ranch I was staying at. This person (we’ll call her Susan) had a beautiful horse who we will refer to as “Daisy.” Susan told me that Daisy had thrown her three times recently and that she really needed some help. I told her that after we had returned to the ranch from our ride and had dinner, that I would drive over and work with her and Daisy.

Later that evening I came over to work with Daisy and Susan. I noticed Susan’s jean jacket was on the ground in the middle of the corral. Daisy had taken it off of the fence and dropped it in the dirt. I asked Daisy for a show of good will, I asked her to retrieve Susan’s jacket. Daisy walked over to the jacket, put her nose down (within two inches) of it and then she jerked her head up, turned around and commenced to pee right near it.

The horse had made it clear that she was “pissed off” now what? I then turned to Susan and asked her to explain her side of the story. Usually I will have the animal communicate with me first, however in this case the horse was quite upset and was not talking. The whole reason I had come over was because Daisy had thrown her rider three times and if that was the case, it was very dangerous and had to be addressed right away.

With Daisy not talking I turned to Susan and listened as she began to describe how she had come to acquire Daisy. It turned out that Daisy was her first horse and that she had been auctioned off at a foreclosure auction. Daisy was pregnant when Susan had purchased her. The foal had recently been weaned and that had driven a bit of a wedge between Susan and Daisy. In addition to that, Susan was lacking confidence in what she was doing and that worried Daisy.

It only got worse when Susan told me how she had been thrown. It had been a very cold morning and been determined to go for a ride, Susan had put on a snowsuit over her regular riding clothes. She was as ungainly as the Michelin Man and she slipped off the stump that she was balancing on to get in the saddle. After nearly getting in the saddle she had slipped right off. Finally she made it into the saddle and Daisy simply sat her back legs down and raised her shoulders, shrugging off Susan in the process. Not much of a throwing.

Daisy had been insulted that Susan had gone around telling people that she had been thrown. It only got worse when similar events took place and now Susan was telling everyone how dangerous Daisy was and how she had been thrown three times. The truth of the matter was that Susan was in over her head, needed some professional instruction in riding and in care for a mare and her new foal. She simply lacked confidence and knowledge, which resulted in a nervous and unhappy horse. The horse had made a judgment call and simply decided that Susan was not fit to ride her. A little bit of communication with our animals can go a long ways towards bringing peace to the ranch and or home.

Back to the shameless self promotion.

Animal Communicator – Pet Psychic

Charles Peden

Discover what many other already have … that communication with our animal companions at a near conversational level is possible through telepathy.

“Peden has become a popular attraction at fundraisers like the upcoming Vallejo event,” Benicia/Vallejo Humane Society Executive Director Peter Wilson said. “Last year he agreed to stay past the end of the event because the line to see him was so long,” Wilson said. “And the response was similar the previous year.”

Quote from the Vallejo Times Herald Newspaper from an article dated 4/09/2010

As seen and heard on:

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Fido Friendly

~ All Species ~ Living and Past ~ Animals Need Not be Present ~ Detailed Information ~

Recently I was invited by Macy’s department stores to provide my services as a psychic medium at a special function of theirs. Macy’s was hosting an in-store after hours special spa event with makeovers, perfume and a little something extra for the mind, body and soul … a psychic reading. Customers who spent a certain minimum were offered the opportunity to get in line for a quick five to seven minute reading with me.

Many of those who came to see me had never been to a psychic before and had no idea what the procedure was. One of the most common questions I fielded was “what do you see around me?” Now, I could have tried to “simply see what is around them” but, that can take some time … and unless a particular spirit is jumping up and down to get my attention, they typically do not just simply have something around them. Trust me, if there is a message for you from spirit, I will do my best to relay it to you and they will do their best to get my attention.

When you come to see a psychic, usually (if the person has sought me out) they have a specific intent, mission … piece of information that they are attempting to connect with. There are many reasons for visiting a psychic such as:

A death in the family – looking for closure.

A desire to communicate with ones animals, past or present.

Seeking information concerning their life path and or career.

Looking for answers in respect to a relationship.

Seeking clarity and understanding associated with their own “psychic” experiences.

Looking for additional confirmation regarding events in your life.

A desire to review your past lives.

To remove or understand an unknown entity/ghost from your home or place of business.

An opportunity to connect with plant life and more …

Questions concerning an unsolved crime or missing person.

Locating a missing animal such as a dog or cat.

Garnering additional information so as to make a better informed decision regarding business.

Developing your own intuitive/psychic abilities.

Simply because it can be fun.

A desire to connect with ascended masters and or famous people from the past.

Locating missing objects such as a cellphone, keys, stolen car etc.

To gain a better understanding of matters related to health and well being.

For a better understanding of the universe and how we are all connected.

To reconnect with a long lost loved one, living or past.

Occasionally people will ask questions of psychics that if the psychic is ethical and any good at what they do – they will either ignore, redirect or avoid these types of questions:

What are the winning lottery numbers?

Any other type of gambling or betting related question, such as who will win the game?

Frequently when faced with major decisions such as purchasing/selling a home or stocks, the psychic may be only able to offer additional insights and not answer the question directly for you.

To seek out information concerning a person that they are not connected to such as a fan wishing to obtain information on a celebrity whom they are obsessed with … yes it’s happened.

Desiring to “make/force” someone to love you or do something else that is not in their nature and of their own free will.

Placing “spells or curses” on anyone or making and marketing “potions and or magic candles.” Nothing good can come from these things.

When will I or someone else die? Please don’t ask, trust me … you do not want to know, nor should you.

Questions that are difficult to work with, but do not fall into the above categories would be as follows:

What do you see around me?

When and will I meet the man/woman of my dreams?

Am I going to be a success?

As I am asked the above three questions with great frequency I will address each one individually.

The “What do you see around me?” question is simply not needed. If there is a spirit who wishes to relay a message to you, it will happen.

“When will I meet the man/woman of my dreams/” is one that is a bit trickier. If I were to tell you the time, date and location where you are going to meet them as well as what they look like etc., I would be shortchanging the natural process. Say you show up at the location on the date and time I mention and you spot the individual I have told you about, your expectations, nerves and such would most likely cause you to blow it. It is important that connecting with someone take place organically. When you are looking for a new relationship the first thing to ask yourself, is would you date yourself? Is there something about you that needs to be worked on such as your attitude, your expectations, or??? Potential mates are turned off by insecurity, depression, unhappiness, poor health and are attracted to confidence, vitality, happiness and a zest for life. When looking to start a new relationship, ask yourself … are you happy with yourself? If not … work on your shortcomings so that you are happy with yourself and you will find that attracting a mate is much easier.

It is key that when thinking about the type of person that you wish to connect with that you use positive affirmations as opposed to negative ones. Do not ask the universe to send someone who does not physically abuse you as by emphasizing the abuse, you will drawn it towards you … like attracts like. When thinking of your ideal mate, say such things as they are compassionate, respectful, loving, tender and caring. Emphasize the qualities that you are attracted to and avoid mentioning the traits that you wish to avoid.

The “Am I going to be a success?” question is tricky too. I had an associate of mine who asked me if their business was going to be a success this year. Now I could tell them that “yes, it will do very well” to which they may respond to by not making an effort and expecting business to grow on it’s own. The converse is that if I tell you that the business will not do well, you will not make an effort since you believe that nothing that you do will make a difference. The correct way to ask this question is to say, “What can I do to ensure that this year is a successful one for my business. That is a question that I can work with.

Now, back to the whole thing about how asking a psychic a question is like searching for information via Google. When you do a Google search, your query is typically taken very literally and as the saying goes with computers, “garbage in garbage out.” meaning that your results are only as good as your query. If you seek information concerning specific areas of your life, it is easier if you gentle nudge me in that direction and then allow me to bring forward details confirming a connection with the information that you seek.

For example: If you wish to ask about your career, do not say “I work at company X and I want to know if I should take the transfer to city X?” By revealing the company you work at and the location that you may be transferring to, you have taken some of the tools out of my psychic tool chest. In order to answer your question and know that I am getting the right information it is helpful if I describe to you what it is that you do for a living and the location that the company is considering moving you to. So it works far better if you ask the question in this format: “I am curious as to if I should take the transfer that my job is offering me?” I will then describe your work to you as well as the location they are considering moving you to. By doing this, you know that I am tapping into the right information.

When asking to connect with animal or human loved ones in spirit, please remember that anyone you are connected to is fair game. Frequently the answers to your questions will come through when looking to connect with those you wish to query. For example: Recently while being interviewed for a news article the reporter asked me to connect with one of her animals that is still living with her. Instead I saw an animal that she was connected to, but had not asked about. As soon as I began to describe what I saw, she told me that it was not who she was looking to connect with. I then asked her if this was the first animal that she had as a child when she was between 6-7 and she immediately confirmed it. I then told her that all of her animals from childhood to present were going to connect with her before we would be able to connect with her current animal. Fifteen minutes later we had connected with five animals from her past to present. Once while being asked to connect with someone’s father in spirit, I made contact and began to describe who I saw, the features I described at first matched with their father, however the other details coming through did not. I then asked who the second person I was seeing was and the person I was doing the reading for said that it was their fathers brother. I then asked what their question for their father was and they said that they had wanted to ask if their father had met up with his brother on the other side. Obviously the answer was yes, as they were coming through simultaneously.

Bottom line is this:

Psychics are not here to decide things for you, but to simply provide additional information and insights into your problems.

We all have our own psychic abilities that we can tap into … frequently people visit a psychic to simply hear an additional confirmation of something that they already know.

We are not here to make people do something that they normally would not do, such as “casting” love spells and the like.

We are not all knowing and all seeing … we are people too, just like you.

When we see a calamity or issue in the future … remember that you exercise free will and in many cases you have the ability to change the outcome.

The future is not written in stone.

It is possible that we may not be able to assist with some some of your concerns … after all when taking a test at school, do you get to use the teachers edition in order to steal the answers? Sometimes you simply have to “bite the bullet” and figure things out for yourself.

There is no such thing as cursed money that needs to be cleansed … “magic” potions, get rich quick schemes, lottery numbers and gambling advice have no business mixing with a genuine and ethical psychic.

If someone claims to talk to animals, they really do not need a photo to connect, as if they are communicating with an animal, that animal can describe what they look like to the psychic telepathically.

Use common sense and good judgment. Beware of “free” readings where they tell you that you have an issue that is only going to be resolved through your bank account being utilized.

Just like any other profession out there, there are frauds and con artist in the psychic profession, if something does not feel right, trust your instincts and avoid the person.

A general observation:

It seems to me that those who seek out “psychic abilities – powers” are not always in it for the right reasons. In my experience these abilities are not right for everyone, some may try and abuse them while others simply cannot handle the fact that once the abilities are developed that their own life is not always their own. Spirits can stop by unannounced, whenever they feel like it, both friendly ones and (if you have not protected yourself) not so friendly spirits. If you get into this type of work simply to make money and become famous, you are doing it for the wrong reasons and will eventually fail. Many of the best psychics out there came into their abilities later in life after they had already spent some time living a “normal” life. This seems to make them more grounded and respectful of their abilities as opposed to someone who desperately is trying to develop them for their own selfish reasons. Please note that I am not trying to dissuade people from developing their abilities and utilizing them, I am simply making a casual observation.

I was successful in life in many ways before reconnecting with my psychic abilities that I had suppressed as a child. As a family man with two wonderful daughters and a loving wife who had built our own business “By the Bay Treasures” (since sold off to another party) and having co-founded the “North American Sea Glass Association.” I was content and very happy with my life prior to reconnecting with my abilities. Frankly I would most likely still be running both the association and By the Bay Treasures were it not for my life suddenly changing in 2006 when the ghost of a young murder victim appeared to me and asked for help. Very soon after that I found that it was nearly impossible to run my business. I was conducting guided kayaking and beach combing tours and during these tours I would end up channeling loved ones and animals for my clients instead of focusing exclusively on sea glass. When I would answer the phone taking orders for drill bits and sea glass as well as booking tours, I would “see” things and occasionally would mention them to the potential customer. I recall the day that I decided that I had to sell my business and focus on my psychic abilities full time. A customer had called to order drill bits and during the call I saw a two year old girl that told me that she had been a still born and that she would come back to the women again and she would have another opportunity to give birth to her. As I described what I saw, the woman confirmed a female still born from two years prior and then the line went dead … I suppose that she was not ready to talk about it yet. This type of intrusion into my business became to common that I had no choice but to focus full time on my unique abilities as a psychic medium and animal communicator.

To learn more about Psychic Medium and Animal Communicator Charles Peden visit www.charlespeden.com or call 925-360-7469.

It is very important that I make it clear that I did not actively seek out nor try to develop any kind of psychic or intuitive abilities prior to utilizing them. I was born with them and between the ages of five to seven I suppressed them due to getting in trouble for “making stuff up” and “lying” to others. I would claim to see things that people such as my parents did not see and I was then punished for it, thus suppressing all of my abilities, going through a difficult childhood that was impossible to understand and going through the majority of my adult life with no belief nor interest in anything that dealt with the supernatural, abilities to communicate with the dead and or animals, plants and more … that just did not mesh with societies view of reality which I now embraced having forgotten my early childhood.

For myself, my awareness of my abilities did not develop until after a ghost appeared in our home and walked right through me. The ghost triggered or sparked a rapid unfolding of my abilities. The very first time I saw her I could make out all the details of her physical form, I could “hear” her and felt her emotional state as she passed through my body. It was as if she had jump started my dormant abilities. It felt like going from zero to sixty very rapidly. After having the ghost walk through me on January 24th of 2006, I found myself chatting up other ghosts in the area. I remember how excited I was to go to a historical location nearby and discover another spirits presence, just like the one that was now residing with us at our home. Soon I discovered I could communicate with those who had crossed over, I channeled a conversation with my wife’s grandfather who had died many years prior, I never met him and she had told me little if anything about him. The fifteen or so personal details that came through were all verified including one that required a call back east to her grandma.

Early on one of my primary spirit guides made himself known to me and that relationship has developed nicely over time with him providing much in the way of insight and advice. After becoming aware of my abilities I was discouraged by my guides to read much in the way of how to develop my abilities, they told me that they were in a better position to teach me how to communicate with that side than someone on this side. For example … there was this recipe for meat loaf that was handed down through the generations and while the daughter was watching her mother make it, she asked “why do you cut the ends off?” her mother replied that she had no idea, but that was how her mother did it and so that is why she did it that way. A few weeks later the daughter was at her grandmothers and asked her why she cut the ends of the meatloaf and grandmother said that it was because her baking dish was too small for the recipe and rather than reduce the recipe, she found it easier to simply cut off a little bit of the ends of the meatloaf prior to sticking it in the cooking dish.

So … back to learning how to use these abilities, (which we all have to some degree, but most of us have suppressed) one perfect example of why working with my guides to develop my abilities was so useful is that unlike the vast majority of animal communicators I do not require a photo to connect nor a description. The reasoning essentially is that animals communicate telepathically, monitor their humans pretty much 24/7 and when you are speaking with someone capable of telepathic communication with them, they will know it and engage in conversation, should they choose to. So if you can communicate telepathically with an animal it would stand to reason that the animal could describe their physical features to you, hence … why use a photo?

One of the best things my guides did for me was to create simulations within the dream world that allowed me to practice using my abilities and working through various scenarios and difficult situations. These dreams would usually happen right before a real world example of the issue would arise during a reading or in the course of “normal” life. This process of training and learning in my dreams really was helpful and aided me in grasping a greater understanding of my abilities.

In order to develop your own abilities I would suggest that the first thing you do is to establish your intent. As we are not working with the physical world, many of the techniques involve the use of the mind or thoughts as opposed to physical actions. However, before declaring your intent to develop your abilities I would like to address a few issues.

Opening up your abilities is not for everyone, before you put forth your intent to develop your abilities, think very carefully about what you are looking to do, by opening up in this fashion you run the risk of dealing with unsettled and angry earthbound spirits, any of your family members who have passed and whom you did not get along with … animals that you have known in the past may come to you. You will discover that privacy as we think it exists is truly a joke and does not exist at all. If I had a dollar for every surprise visitor to our home, I would be a millionaire, or close to it by now. If a particular event has captured the worlds attention, you may feel a pull to be drawn to the story and you may feel compelled to obsess over it until a resolution has been brought forth. While driving down the highway you may suddenly flash upon the scene of an accident where lives were lost, and then when you look back it will be gone, though the victims may be in your car, (in spirit form yet displaying their wounds). Many of the “problems” that come with opening up to your psychic and intuitive abilities can be mitigated through the use of effective protection techniques and the development of relationships with spirit guides, and guardians.

So … you still want to develop your abilities … read on. Declaring your intent to develop your abilities will assist you in aligning your energies in that direction and in assembling a team of guides on the other side with the intent of developing your abilities. Simply sit down and write out your intentions, speak the words in your mind, something simple such as “I wish to develop my psychic abilities so that I may communicate more effectively with those in spirit. At this time I am requesting that my spirit guides make themselves known to me and I am asking them to assist in developing my intuitive abilities. Thank you in advance.” Something similar to that will suffice, no need to make it complicated, and remember that when you make requests of your guides and the universe, that you have to be sure to be clear as to what you are asking for as you are usually taken quite literally.

After declaring your intent and requesting your guides to assist you, you can move on to actually working with psychic energies, it should go without saying that it is best to try this in a quiet and meditative places free from outside disturbances. No need to meditate for hours or anything rigorous like that, a few minutes at best is what is needed, though more time may be more beneficial, to a point. We will start with something simple. In order to communicate at this level, you must be able to feel psychic energy … it feels very much like a small amount of adrenaline coursing through your body, like a gentle electrical shock … kind of like the goosebumps feeling but not scary or hair raising. Some people refer to the feeling as waterfalls. This feeling will be used as the basis for our rudimentary telepathic or psychic communication. When you feel the energy, that is a “yes” … when you feel nothing, that is a “no”. The whole process can be likened to binary code, the series of ones and zeros that make up the basic building blocks of all computer/digital communications. Just like with binary code, through this series of simply yes and no responses you can eventually “read” whole blocks of code and make sense of it as opposed to having to only work with ones and zeros. Once that happens the information that you initially were reading only as a simple yes or no may be expanded into full audio with visuals and more … which is where I operate in most of my communications with spirits and animals.

I suggest starting with something simple such as a favorite animal companion, if you do not have your own, see if you can borrow one from a family member or friend. Start out be telling the animal what you are going to be doing. Tell them that you want to chat with them and that you want them to answer your questions with a yes or no response. You do not need to have the animal physically present. You do not need a photo of the animal. You want to start with questions that you already know the answers to, this will establish a baseline for your communications. One great way to do this is to say something such as. “animals name”, are you a cat? and if you feel a gentle electrical discharge or adrenaline burst in your body, that is a yes. Then ask the animal the opposite … are you a dog? and if you get no response … and they are a cat, you can then go back to the question that gave you a yes response and double check it. Ask the animal again, “are you a cat?” and if you once again get the adrenaline burst/electrical discharge, you are well on your way to communicating with animals and spirits. At this point simply proceed to ask several additional questions that you already know the answers to, double checking the responses as you go along and then you may begin the “real” conversation by asking questions that you do not already know the answer to. This technique applies to not just animals, but both ghosts and spirits who have crossed over … and more.

After working with an animal that you know, you may want to branch out and work with a co-workers animal or someone else who has animals that you do not know anything about in advance. If you find someone who has animals and you do not know anything about them, you can use the above techniques to connect with the animal and ask questions about the animals physical appearance. When you can walk up to a stranger, ask the name of their animal at home and then describe that animal to them, it not only proves that you can talk to the animals, it is a lot of fun. When I go out to eat I enjoy playing with the wait staff, it’s fun to ask them the name of a favorite animal at home of theirs as they are taking your order and then describing that animal to them when they bring your food and or drinks out.

I was born in Rogue River, Oregon and after a relatively uneventful first two years, (not that I remember them) my brother was born. Life was good, I was the child of a couple of hippies and there was no public school and … no TV. When not attending to schoolwork or chores my brother and I, could be found hiking around the thousands of acres of forest land that we lived within.

I spent most of my childhood near or on the Oregon coast. Florence, Coosbay, Tillamook and the small towns in between was where I spent the early years of my life. Soon after being born my parents moved to a commune between the coast and Eugene. I then recall our family living in a farmhouse close to where the commune was. When I was about five we moved to a tiny whistle-stop of a town, so small it has since been erased off of the map. It was here that my first brush with my future would occur, a future I would only find out about twenty-seven years later.

Canary was a very small community near the coast south of Florence and here our post office and barber shop were one and the same. Around five years old I began experiencing intense flying dreams where I would find myself running from the top of the driveway all the way down towards the house, but I never would make it all the way down the driveway. At some point I ceased running and simply was flying over the house and the adjacent woods. Soon I found that in order to fly in my dreams that I simply need to rock back and forth very quickly, as if on a swing where I would swing back and forth faster and faster until I was airborne … no, more as if I was laying down on my back and rocking back and forth until I would simply float up, roll over and fly off.

The dreams were very vivid and I would often find myself doing some extensive exploring of the woods. One night I dreamt of a cabin in the woods with an apple tree in front and it was very detailed. The following day my brother and I went hiking. We ended up in an unfamiliar part of the woods and I soon began to make out landmarks from my dream. We came into a bit of a clearing and just as I had seen in my dream, there was this abandoned cabin with an apple tree in front. The place was in complete disrepair and seemed to have been there for well over twenty, thirty or more years.

We lived in a double wide mobile home and though it was no Taj Mahal, we called it home and loved it. We had over six acres of beautiful forest land within the mountainous coastal region of Oregon. The rivers and streams were teeming with wildlife. With the help of a backhoe, a caterpillar and a drilling rig, we turned that place into a homestead. Fruit trees were planted, gardens were seeded and grass was sown. Life was good, I had two great parents who though not exactly conventional, did the best they could.

My Father was raised Pentecostal while my Mother was raised Catholic. Dad went into seminary school while Mom attended Catholic School. After they both became disillusioned regarding their respective faiths, they broke with convention and struck out on their own. It was the late sixties and what a time to be angry at the establishment, they rebelled and ended up finding each other in a health food store and bookshop in Mount Shasta, California. Soon after they discovered the Eastern gurus.

They found one particular guru who they seemed to resonate with and for the next several years I would find myself singing songs in a language that I did not understand when attending the Thursday night meetings with fellow devotees. This was a confusing time in my life and not an easy one, not many of the other kids understood my parents faith, let alone myself, I just wanted to be “normal”.

As a child my parents owned a natural food candy bar company. They would print little sayings and inspirational quotes on the backs of their labels, so that the person eating it would not only have his body nourished, but perhaps his mind and his soul. Speaking of souls, When about six years old I recall seeing what I thought to be the ghost of a fur trapper. In our home.

We had a walk in closet that had been converted into a prayer room. We had a heavy piece of fabric that functioned as a door. It was located in the middle of the hallway which connected my Father’s office, our bedroom, a bathroom and prayer room with the living room.

One day while in our room, my brother and I thought we saw a shadowy figure walk from the bathroom into the prayer room. After a few more sightings, I asked Mom if she saw anything. She replied that she did not and then added that such things did not exist. I was a bit puzzled at her reply since I had sworn that I seen him, as did my brother. I don’t recall much else about it, though I do recollect his appearance in great detail. He had a coonskin hat on with buckskins, the kind with the fringe. He had a long rifle slung over his back and seemed to be carrying a Bowie knife in his right hand. He held his knife at the ready and was hunched over as if trying to sneak up on someone.

Around this time I suppressed my abilities, it was not a conscious decision, but rather a choice I made subconsciously. After being rebuked by my parents a few times when I had approached them regarding unexplained occurrences, I stopped mentioning them and they seemed to stop on their own accord. It was not until many years later that I would understand my childhood.

Prior to January 24th of 2006 I was what you would consider a strong skeptic of all things paranormal and psychic. Even though I had a few unusual experiences as a child, I dismissed them at an early age and never looked back. Fast forward from 1974 to the beginning of 2006 and here I was in California, married, two kids, my own business and everything looked sunny for the road ahead. I thought I had it “figured out”, I loved my work … and was considered a leader in the business. I had just founded the North American Sea Glass Association and we were getting set to hold our first festival in the fall of 2006, it was the night that I had launched their web site that things went topsy turvy in our home.

After a busy day of working on taxes and doing web design work, my wife (Heidi) and I decided it was time to call it a day. After brushing my teeth, I exited the bathroom with Heidi still in there preparing for bed. I closed the door behind me and began to walk down the hallway towards the dining room. As I was walking I felt someone right behind me and turned around expecting to see my wife standing there. Instead I saw a woman who was about 18 years of age, olive skin, dark long straight hair and she was thinner then my wife and about 3 inches taller too. The most unusual feature about her was her dress, it looked like the ones you saw in old time photos from the late 1800s early 1900s.

At first not believing my eyes, I turned and did a double take. She was still there, only this time she was walking towards me and then she entered the small of my back and exited my chest. When she passed through me, it took my breath away. It was a cold tingly type of energy, similar to the wash of fresh water going through your wetsuit when you duck under a wave on your board while paddling out and the cold wash goes through your suit from a loose fitting neck or something to that effect.

As she walked through me, I felt more then just physical sensations. I felt her mental state. She was lonely, angry and confused. She kept repeating “Why did it have to end this way?”. As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared. My wife called out from the bathroom and asked if I was okay? She said “What’s wrong is it an earthquake? what … did you see a ghost?” She asked the second part jokingly and I replied that “yes” I had seen one and she had walked though me. Heidi then became quite upset with me and accused me of trying to scare her, she said that I was making it up. I then began to describe the woman to her and to my surprise she finished the description of her and then confessed to having seen her in the same hallway a year ago. She had not told me because she thought that I might think that she was crazy, which I would have thought so 10 minutes prior.

After that first evening, she showed up the following night at about the same time. This time she showed me what her house looked like and gave me her name as well as many other details. It was amazing … I could actually understand what she was saying to me, and the visions she showed me were so vivid I could sense the dew on the grass and what time of year it was etc. Soon I had a wealth of material to check against historical records. Since we lived in condos built in the 1980s we knew that she had to be connected to the land and not the building. We found a map of the original township and the plats that had been drawn up for the town we live in. Sure enough where we lived used to be a farm and it was even mentioned on the map as to what the owners name was. He had the same last name as our ghost. When we found a census report, we found her name and that of the family members whom she had mentioned as living with her. Then we found something that really fit … birth records for all of the family members, and death records for all of them with the exception of our ghost. She had a birth record and no death record, she had simply vanished.

To make a long story short, she lived with us for 3 months before I assisted in crossing her over to the other side. She taught me a lot and I will be forever grateful for her help in opening me up to my abilities. Her name was Isabel Silva and she will always have a place in our hearts. Not too long ago a person whom I had given a reading to, revealed that he knew of an old timer who would tell him tales about a young woman who had gone missing and they even had a suspect, but with no body back then, there was not much that could be done. The suspect was released and she was never found.

By May of 2006 I began providing readings to the general public and have continued to do so since. About a year after discovering my abilities as a medium, I discovered the ability to communicate with live animals. At the end of this month, I will once again be a guest of the Benicia/Vallejo Humane Societies annual fundraiser where I will be providing guests with connections to their animal companions both living and passed, – animals need not be present.

Recently I have begun speaking in other languages then English during readings. I do not speaking any other languages myself and so I am simply repeating the words as I hear them from the spirits who I am connected to during the readings. The first time I did it I spoke flawless Spanish and the person receiving the reading knew exactly what I was saying. Then I did another reading where I spoke Hebrew at length … and then another one where I was speaking Norwegian, just a few nights ago I found myself speaking Chinese. My wife wrote down what I said and then we were able to translate it and it too made perfect sense.